Derek was born and brought up in Elgin. He attended Aberdeen University and spent most of his working life in Aberdeen. He is married with two children.

Derek worked in the Health Service from 1976 to 2015. He was a Consultant Haematologist to NHS Grampian from 1986 until retirement in 2015 and provided clinical service at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital for patients with blood diseases and cancer, and laboratory haematology service for general practices and hospitals in Grampian. Derek held various administrative posts in NHS Grampian and in the Scottish Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer.

Derek is currently doing regular teaching of biomedical scientists in Haematology Laboratory at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Derek is a trustee of the Archie Foundation at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital from 2019. He is a committee member for the organisation of annual carol concert for CLICSargent charity which supports children and young people with cancer and their families.

His other interests include photography, playing the fiddle and researching family history.

“I hope that my experience in the Health Service can add to the organisation of the Advocacy Service and its important work in supporting its various client groups.”

Donna was born in Newcastle but grew up in Aberdeenshire and studied psychology at Aberdeen University. She has lived in Aberdeen for the past twenty years and is married with two children and two grandchildren. In her spare time she enjoys travelling, walking, keeping fit and relaxing with a good book.

As a mother of a child who had additional supports needs, Donna volunteered as an advocate for parents whose children also have additional support needs and thoroughly enjoyed this role and the support she was able to provide. Following her time as an advocate, Donna joined as a board member at ASA in 2006 but then left for a time due to work commitments before re-joining the board in January 2019.

Donna worked in public service for a number of years before retiring in 2016 and brings a breadth of skills and enthusiasm to the ASA board

“ I enjoyed my work as a volunteer advocate and saw the difference this made to the parents and children I supported. This led me to join the board of directors for ASA so I could continue to contribute to advocacy in Aberdeen. I look forward working alongside my fellow board members to address the future challenges that advocacy faces so that we can provide this valuable service to those who need it “

Clare was born and brought up in Scottish Borders of Polish/Irish/Scottish extraction. She was strongly influenced by contact with local services for people with learning disabilities and the very forward-thinking psychiatric hospital. She met her husband at university in Aberdeen and post qualifying “social worked “in Aberdeen before having family. After her first child, she was ill with post-natal psychosis and hospitalised but had no recurrence of this issue been after 2 subsequent children.

Clare worked for 11 years in a local charity providing drop-in services for people with mental health problems when her children were young. During that time, she got involved with advocacy service for people with mental health issues – a service which became part of what is now ASA. She moved on to working for Cornerstone for 10 years managing Aberdeen services initially then in HR roles (having re-trained) Scotland wide. Redundancy required a change of direction into the private sector which she feels was a new and enriching window on the world. She worked for a Freight Forwarding Company initially and then 4 years with a Norwegian Company providing control systems for vessels and subsea acoustic equipment. In January 17, she stopped work to help look after her grandchildren, develop her interest in mediation through voluntary work with SACRO, and catch up on neglected household projects.

“My work and personal experiences have shown me the importance of having one’s voice heard and listened to, hence my continued belief in the importance of independent advocacy.”

Pat graduated from Keele and went on to complete a PhD at Bristol University. After teaching at Bristol Polytechnic she moved to Aberdeen with her husband where she was a tutor at Aberdeen University on a part time basis while their children were young. After taking up an administrative post with Gordon Local Health Council, she was elected to Grampian Regional Council where she served as Chair of the Social Work Committee, leaving the council in 1990 to take up a full-time post with Grampian Health Board. Initially this was a development post to work with people in disadvantaged communities to identify and address their health needs, but it evolved into setting up a new team to provide links between people in Grampian and the Health Board. A common thread emerging through all of these posts was the difficulty that many people experienced in dealing with statutory agencies and the need for someone to help them to speak up about wishes and concerns. During this period she was instrumental in developing an awareness of advocacy at local and national level and was involved in setting up the first two advocacy projects in Grampian which were the forerunners of Advocacy Service Aberdeen.

With a long-standing concern for the unique needs of carers, she worked closely with the Carers’ Centre and for a local charity providing respite care for people with learning disabilities and was a member of the Board of Shared Care Scotland.

“I ‘retired’ by turning a hobby into a retail business which also provides education and training in needlecraft and textile arts. The proven social and mental health benefits of sewing, particularly in groups, led one local GP to comment ‘You have done far more good for the health of local people since you retired that you ever did during all those years at the Health Board’. By continuing to work for ASA, I hope he may be right! “

Anna worked as a Community Dental Officer in Lanarkshire and Grampian for seventeen years where her remit covered treating children and adults with learning and physical disabilities as well as patient referrals from hospitals via the Mental Health Services units, referrals from the homeless and substance misuse units and referrals to treat vulnerable children from paediatric consultants and Community Child Health. Due to ill health in 2009 Anna left the NHS but continued to support vulnerable children and young people by completing COSCA Counselling Skills Modules 1-4, being an Awards Assessor with the Princes’ Trust in 2017 for a year and a volunteer Childline counsellor with the NSPCC at the Aberdeen office for two years. Currently Anna is a Panel Practice Advisor with Children’s Hearing Scotland in Aberdeenshire and has held various roles within the organisation since her appointment in 2011.

“I am passionate about providing independent advocacy to all who require our services in Aberdeen and ultimately across Scotland especially in enabling our children and Young People’s voices to be heard.”

Emma moved to Aberdeen in 2008 to start an undergraduate degree in Physiology. She has since completed two Masters, and a PhD in Health Services Research. Her PhD looked at how online patient feedback could be used to improve NHS services in Scotland. During her time in Aberdeen, she also gained experience as a volunteer in community projects. Emma now works at the University of Aberdeen as a Research Fellow.

Emma has previously worked in NHS Grampian’s Public Involvement team as a Public Involvement Officer, and Research and Development department as a Research Engagement and Involvement Officer. Both roles involved working with communities and supporting NHS staff in engaging meaningfully with the public. During her time in the Public Involvement team, she became more aware of advocacy and the role it plays within healthcare.

The underlining thread of her work to date has been to support people in having their voices heard, and how it can be used for improvement. This has led her to join the ASA board in 2024.